[Ghibli] Timeless Ghibli Classics in Classical Arrangements: The charm of Ghibli music performed with live instruments

“Always With Me” to “Reprise” from Spirited AwayHisaishi Joe

“Always With Me” / “Reprise” from “Spirited Away” (“Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi”)

This one also has a wonderful atmosphere and has turned out to be a lovely piece.

It’s a song I love—I watched the movie many times and was captivated by the music.

I adore the melody that makes you want to keep listening forever.

It has become a work that makes the xylophone feel incredibly cool.

Ponyo on the CliffHisaishi Joe

Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea (Ponyo on the Cliff) Nozomi Ohashi 2008

Nozomi Ohashi is such a wonderful girl, singing unfazed with all these adults behind her.

Hearing it in a classical arrangement makes it truly grand and beautiful.

Even now, it feels as if the music is alive, and it’s really overwhelming.

It makes you want to listen to it again and again.

Treasure of FlamesŌno Yūji

2014/10/12 Flame of Treasure 21st Family Concert Hirakata Bears Brass

From Lupin the Third: The Castle of Cagliostro.

It was used as the theme song.

Yuji Ohno, who composed and arranged it, is also active as a jazz pianist.

He has provided songs to many artists, including Sayuri Ishikawa, Yuzo Kayama, and SMAP.

His distinctively expansive musical style is prominently reflected throughout the Lupin the Third series.

The vocals were performed by BOBBY.

It is a piece whose heartrending melody and lyrics move the soul.

Kiki’s Delivery ServiceHisaishi Joe

06 Kiki’s Delivery Service Suite – JOE HISAISHI & WORLD DREAM ORCHESTRA 2019

It’s a song from the movie Kiki’s Delivery Service.

Every time I listen to it, memories come back.

Even in a classical arrangement, it’s very calming to listen to, and it still feels fresh even now.

I love this song.

It’s a piece that can be enjoyed by both adults and children.

NAUSICAA REQUIEM Nausicaä RequiemHisaishi Joe

Nausicaä Requiem (from 'Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind')

The memorable “Nausicaä Requiem” that plays in the film is performed here in a healing piano arrangement.

As a healing piano piece, it works well as background music for working or studying, yet the arrangement is highly classical and really lets the piano solo shine.

In the original, you hear a child’s voice singing “Ran, ran rara ran ran ran…,” and the singer is the composer Joe Hisaishi’s daughter, Mai, who was four years old at the time.

Heard on piano, it almost sounds like a Baroque-era dance.

My Humble CottageHenry Rowley Bishop

Home, Sweet Home (Hanyū no Yado).wmv

From “Grave of the Fireflies.” The original song was composed by the Englishman Henry Rowley Bishop and sung as “Home, Sweet Home!” in the opera The Maid of Milan.

The Japanese lyrics by Yoshishi Satomi are well known, and the song is cherished in Japan as an English folk tune.

Yumiko Sameshima is active as a soprano singer, vocalist, and court singer.

The lyrics convey that even a humble house with bare earthen (clay) walls is far more joyful and reassuring than any grand palace, because it is the home where one was born and raised.

Memories of the AlhambraFrancisco Tárrega

Kaori Muraji – Recuerdos de la Alhambra – Memories of the Alhambra

From When Marnie Was There.

It was used as an insert song.

This piece is by the Spanish composer and guitarist Francisco Tárrega and is famous as a character piece for solo guitar.

It is also known for employing the tremolo technique, which requires advanced skill, and is regarded as a showcase for a guitar virtuoso.

With a somewhat wistful yet elegant sound, it is a piece that makes you listen intently to the performer’s high level of technique.